Propelling and steering of boats.



No. 686,780. Patented Nov. l9, I90l.

M. J. STEFFENS.

P-BOPELLING AND STEERING 0F BOATS.

(Application filed July 12, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 6 86,780. Pa'tented Nov. [9, 19 01.

. M. .1. STEFFENS.

PRUPELLING AND STEERING 0F BOATS.

(Application filed July 12, 1901.)

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

'Inwe ThaiheyrcIcSRflew W M IlNiTED STATES 'ATE'NT FFICE.

MATHEIV JOSEPH STEFFENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 686,780, dated November 19, 1901.

Application filed July 12, 1901.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IVIATHEW J osEPH STEF- FENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Propelling and Steering of Boats, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to construct a propelling and stearing means for boats by which a boat or other floating structure can be propelled and guided or steered from the shore or other place of launching and directed to any place or point'desired; and the invention is especially intended for use with life-boats, rafts, torpedo-boats, and other similar structures where it is desirable or necessary to have the propelling and the guiding or steering controlled and directed from the shore, place of launching, or from another boat; and the invention consists in'the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings the application of the invention to a life-boat is illustrated.

Figure 1 is a top or plan View of such boat with the housing or upper structure or deck removed; Fig. 2, aside elevation of the complete boat; Fig. 3, a stern view of the complete boat, and Fig. 4: a detail showinga portion of the cable or casing for carrying the wires or conductors of the electric current by which the boat is driven and guided or steered.

The boat A can be made of any suitable material and is to be constructed so as to be strong and capable of resisting the impact of the waves in use, and preferablyis to be constructed with a wide bottom and asharp prow, so as to float without any great liability of being turned over and so as to cut the waves or sea when running, and, as shown, the boat has a closed upper deck or housing A and a conning-tower A to permit the boat, if desired or necessary, to carry a crew or an operator.

The boat is driven by two twin electric motors, each of the samehorse-power, the combined horse power of the two being sufficient to operate and run the boat, and these motors B and B also serve, in conjunction with the propeller wheels or screws, as the means for steering the boat. The electric motors B and B are'preferably of the shunt- Serial No. 68,025- (No model.)

wound type or class of motors, so that one motor or both can be reversed at pleasure and the boat quickly stopped or turned around. The motor B drives a shaft 0, passing through a bearing d at the stern of the boat and having at its outer end, at the stern of the boat on one side, a propeller wheel or screw D, and the motor 13' drives a shaft 0, also passing through a bearing d at the stern of the boat and having at its outer end, at the stern of the boat on one side, a propeller wheel or screw D, the two wheels or screws being of the same size and of. similar construction and each having an equal driving or propelling power. At the stern of the boat in the construction shown is' a tubular support or standard E, into which the wires or conductors for the electric current lead, one wire or conductor a running to the motor B and the otherwire or conductor b running to the motor B, and the return-wire a of the motor B and the return-wire b of the motor B run through'the bottom of the boat atc, so as to complete the circuit through the water. The tubular post or standard E is for the purpose of holding the wires or conductors clear above the water at the stern of the boat, which is desirable, though not absolutely necessary, as the wires could be entered directly into the stern, if so desired. The wires or conductors a and b are carried by a. waterproof cable or casing F, of a length sufficient to send the boat out any required distance, and this cable may be allowed to sink where the nature of the shore or the place of use is such as not to break or tear the cable or casing, which should be of insulating material; but where the shore or the place of use is rocky or of other formation that would damage the cable or casing floats or buoys f can be connected with the cable or casing in any suitable manner, so as to float or carry the cable between the shore and the boat. The prow of the boat can have a post carrying a flag or other signal 6, observable from the point where the boat is sent out and by means of which the boat can be guided or steered. The boat on each side can be provided with a life-line G, having guards or bumpers g, or otherwise constructed and arranged so as to furnish a hold for persons who may be on a wreck or in the water and who by catching hold of the lifeline can be supported and carried to a place of safety.

The boat is driven forward in a direct or straightline by running both electric motors at the same speed, so that the propeller wheels or screws will revolve simultaneously and under the same conditions, forcing the boat forward. The boat can be guided or steered to the port or to the starboard side by running one m0- tor at a less speed than the other or stopping one motor entirely, and with one motor running slower than the other or with one motor stopped the boat will be turned in the direction of the faster-running motor or the motor that is running, so that all that is necessary to steer the boat and have it run port or starboard is to shut down partially or entirely the motor which will turn the boat in the direction desired.

The current for driving and steering the boat can be obtained from a suitable dynamo located on the shore or on another boat, and the current can be controlled by a switch for each conductor or wire, arranged and operating to send an equal current through both conductors or wires for running the boat in a straight line or by partially or entirely shutting off the current, so as to partially or entirely stop one motor for steering the boat. The running of the boat is placed entirely under the control of the operator on the shore or on another boat or other place from which the boat is sent out, who by properly manipulating the controlling-switches for the electric current can drive the boat in any direction desired and to any point required within the distance of the length of the cable or casing. The cable or casing can be mounted on a reel, so as to readily pay out therefrom, and when the boat has reached its destination the motors can be reversed and the boat turned around and the cable or casing rewound onto its reel or other receiver therefor as the boat returns to its starting-point.

The boat shown is especially designed and adapted for use as a life-boat, and in use the operator on the shore or other launchingplace after the boat is launched can by means of the controlling-switches guide or steer the boat to the wreck or other desired point of destination from the shore or launching-place and can control the speed of the boat, so as to send it out rapidly or otherwise, and when the point of destination is reached the boat can be slowed down by reducing the current, bringing it without danger directly alongside of the wreck or other object which is to be other boat, though the arrangement may be such as to permit. this, if desired. The lifeboat is of a construction to resist a heavy sea and to ride thereover, and even if the boat should roll it will always right itself, owing to the weight at the bottom and the drivingmotors. The life-line on each side of the boat furnishes a safety means for those who are to be saved, as such lines can be caught and will hold the persons while the boat is being returned to the shore or other point from which it departed.

The boat when operated from a life-saving station can have the electric power supplied by a dynamo driven by a gasolene or other engine, and the boat, with the dynamo and its engine, can be so constructed that the entire outfit can be loaded on a wagon and driven to some point on the shore from which it is desirable to send out the boat. While it is the intention to control the boat from the shore or from another boat, the boat can be so constructed, as already suggested, as to carry a crew or an operator who can assist in rescuing or doing other work, such as steering and controlling the speed of the boat, and when the steering and speed of the boat are under the control of'an operator thereon asuitable switch is to be provided on the boat for use in controlling the current supplied from the shore or from another boat to the motors.

While the invent-ion is shown applied to a life-boat, it is applicable to rafts, torpedoboats, and other like structures which it is desirable or necessary to guide and control from the shore or other launching-place or from another boat, and when used on a raft, torpedo-boat, or other structure'the invention can be constructed and arranged, as shown and described, with two motors, two shafts, and two propeller wheels or screws, the raft, torpedo-boat, or other structure having a formation suitable to receive the motors and the shafts and have the propeller wheels or screws located at the stern, one on each side of the centerof the raft, torpedo-boat, or otherstructure.

The gist of the invention is in placing the control of the boat, raft, torpedo-boat,or other structure entirely under a driving power generated on the shore or on another boat and supplied to the life-boat or other structure through an insulated cable or casing by proper wires or conductors, so as to drive a motor or motors and propel and steer the boat or other structure through the current thus supplied, and the current preferably is con= trolled from the shore or other place ofv supply, thereby enabling the life-boat or other structure to be guided or steered from the shore or from another boat; but with a crew or operator on the life-boat or other structure the guiding and steering can be done thereon, the current being supplied from the shore or another place of supply.

What I regard as new, and by Letters Patent, is-- desire to secure 1. In a steering and propulsion system for boats, the combination of a boat, a pair of electric motors, a pay-out wire or conductor for each motor leading thereto from a source of electric energy at the starting-place of the boat, a driven shaft for each motor, and a propeller wheel or screw for each shaft at the stern of the boat, for propelling and steering the boat through the motors with the power derived at the starting-place, substantially as described.

2. In a steering and propulsion system for boats, the combination of a boat, a pair of electric motors, a pay-out wire or conductor for each motor leading thereto from a source of electric energy at the starting-place of the boat, a driven shaft for each motor, a propeller wheel or screw for each shaft at the stern of the boat, and a cable or casing carrying the wires or conductors for the motors and adapted to be paid out with the forward travel of the boat, for propelling and steering the boat through the motors with the power derived at the starting-place, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a boat, of a pair of electric motors located in transverse relation on the boat, a pay-out wire or conductor for each motor leading thereto from a source of electric energy at the starting-place of the boat, a driven shaft for each motor, a propeller or screw for each shaft at the stern of the boat for propelling and steering the boat, a supporting post or standard at the stern of the boat for the pay-out wires or conductors, and a cable or casing carrying the wires or conductors and adapted to be paid out with the forward travel of the boat, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a boat, of a pair of electric motors located on the boat, a payout wire or conductor for each motor leading thereto from a source of electric energy at the starting-place of the boat, a driven shaft for each motor, a propeller wheel or screw for each shaft at the stern of the boat, a supporting post or standardat the stern of the boat for the pay-out wires or conductors, a cable or casing carrying the wires or conductors and adapted to be paid out with the forward travel of the boat, and floats or buoys carrying the cable or casing and the contained wires or conductors for the electric current, substantially as described.

MATHEW JOSEPH STEFFENS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS A. BANNING, THOMAS E. MCGREGOR. 

